Posts Tagged ‘Tricia’

Tricia’s blog: Here’s an excellent tool for keeping track of calories in and out.

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person.

Last time I promised I’d tell you about a great resource that has helped me a lot. In fact, it’s been absolutely golden.

Ladies and gentlemen, CalorieKing.com.

One of the ways I can gain weight easily is by going into pretty powerful denial about what and how much I am actually eating.  CalorieKing is a really easy (and free) program that helps you track exactly what you are eating – and subtract calories burned exercising – so you can’t get away with denial. It’s really helpful. When I am working on my laptop at night or checking Facebook after dinner, I just jump over to CalorieKing and enter the info. It’s quick and really simple. And it doesn’t let you get away with anything!

So I continue on, in maintenance mode.  Ideally, in maintenance, you continue to lose weight since the calorie levels are still low. Because I have been struggling (and perhaps because I am exercising) I have put on five pounds. Not what I’d like to report, but I am still winning the battle.

At times I wish I was back in the low-calorie part of the program. No decisions to make. No portions sizes to worry about. I loved having all that extra energy to redirect to other parts of my life. But – I’m here. I keep learning. And I have the support of the program staff whenever I need it. If you are considering the program—DO IT! You won’t regret it.

Stay tuned… there’s much more to tell you about my adventure.

To see all of Tricia’s posts and her complete journey through the Very Low Calorie Diet at Dean Clinic’s Comprehensive Weight Management Program, use the search word “Tricia” in the search box in the upper right. To learn more about the program or get started yourself, click here and have a look.

What happened to Tricia? What about her diet? Where has she been? What’s going on?

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person.

When we last heard from Tricia way back in June, her progress was remarkable. Sure, she had a few setbacks, but the combination of expert support and a new way of thinking about food has continued to show results. As she mentioned, it’s the mental part that triggers the eventual undoing. Let’s see how she fared through the summer.

September 14. It’s been a while! There’s a lot to tell.

Several months ago I officially entered the maintenance stage of my program after losing 42 pounds. As I mentioned in my last post, it proved to be more challenging than I had expected, despite warnings from the staff to approach this next phase soberly. Here’s what I know: having learned about better eating habits in my classes is VERY different from applying those habit in real life. The default, if I am not paying very close attention, is to revert back to the eating habits that I had long ago put on autopilot.

I am still having shakes for breakfast and for lunch I have soup every day — takes the guesswork out of the formula. I have a small bowl on my desk that I try to keep filled with fresh fruit or baby carrots or grape tomatoes. That part of my day is manageable.

It’s night that threatens to undo my success! When I get home I am tired and pretty wound up from work.  I generally cook dinner for my spouse, who eats different things than I do. And it’s while I am grilling him a steak to go with his potato smothered in 1/3 a stick of butter that I start to want to nibble. That’s my undoing. The witching hour. I have to say I struggle with that daily. A few tricks are helping: I sometimes have a shake or a piece of fruit at my office late afternoon to tame the hunger beast. It also helps to drink a large glass of water when I get home.

My desperation tactic when all else fails is to pop in my Invisalign retainer! I can’t eat when I am wearing it. Plus, it’s easier and more socially acceptable than wiring my jaw or donning elbow locks so I can’t get food to my mouth!  One clear and painful lesson is that losing weight with the very low calorie diet holds no guarantee unless you really, really put into action everything the staff tells you while your weight is disappearing. If not, those pounds are standing right outside your front door waiting to get in.

Now to the fun, upbeat news!

One day in June something snapped and I just put on running shoes, walked out the door and started running. Unlike previous attempts long, long ago, I did not run half a block and then walk. I kept running! I ran for about a half mile straight. Not pretty. Not fast. But there I was doing it.  And I have kept it up ever since. I used to joke with my runner friends that running was to be reserved for those rare occasions when you were being chased. Now I get it! It is really tough going when you start a run, but when you get in the zone it becomes almost hypnotic. I went to a runners’ store and had a foot-strike analysis to determine the best running shoe for me and got some quality running shoes. I found MapMyRun online, which helps me determine distance anywhere I may run.

I’m still not fast. The other day a guy walking ahead of me (we’re talking normal walking) kept pace with me while I was running. I will never win a race. But a year ago I would not even have considered running, in part due to my weight. Now I am running my first 5K at the end of this month. Look. Over there… Monkeys are flying! I also did a fair amount of biking and kayaking over the summer. It felt good to do those things minus the weight I had the previous summer.

OK, that’s it for now. Next week I’ll tell you about an incredibly valuable resource I’ve been using to help me along the way. Talk to ya then!

To see all of Tricia’s posts and her complete journey through the Very Low Calorie Diet at Dean Clinic’s Comprehensive Weight Management Program, use the search word “Tricia” in the search box in the upper right. To learn more about the program or get started yourself, click here and have a look.

Tricia’s blog, part 15: Forgive me, Nutritionist, for I have sinned.

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person.

When we last left Tricia, she began to realize her remarkable progress in losing more than 40 pounds, despite the very real challenges that lie ahead. This week, those challenges come in the form of pizza and happy hours. This is the transition phase, and it’s waaaayyyyy harder than it seems. Fortunately, the pros at the program are standing by, ready to help.

Tricia’s blog, part 14: Tasting success is easier when you realize it doesn’t contain any calories.

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Uncategorized , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person.

When we last left Tricia, she’s transitioning back into real food. (And rumor has it a staffer here saw her eating a small salad and a tiny bunless hamburger.) The journey ahead looks very promising, as long as she can learn to appreciate the progress she’s made.

Tricia’s blog, part 12: Finally, a reunion with real, actual food.

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person.

When we last left Tricia, she was getting ready to move into the second phase of the program, the part where real, actual food is no longer off limits.

Tricia’s blog, part 11: Down 36 pounds, the first phase ends. From here, does it get any harder easier?

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person.

When we last left Tricia, she returned from a funeral in her home town. Despite being surrounded by family and friends, participating in group meals and seeing the kind of dessert goodness that can only come from east-coast Wisconsin, she stuck to the plan. She’s down 36 pounds, and contemplating transitioning to a modified diet with shakes and bars and (gasp!) real food.

So is this the end? Or are we just getting started?

Tricia’s blog, part 10: Does the plan work when life throws a curveball?

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person.

When we last left Tricia, she had spent the day shopping, treating herself to a few new outfits to go with her 35-pound weight loss. Then the phone rang, and she learned that her friend’s mom had died. With a pending funeral and reunion, how would the diet stand up to stress, close friends, family and the inevitable group meals?

April 20. I traveled north to my home town today to attend my friend’s mom’s funeral. Catherine was my “other mom” growing up. I spent nearly entire summers on their farm, riding horses and exploring the woods, fields, creeks and barns. It was a tough day, but it felt wonderful to honor my friend and her mom by participating in the service.

It also felt wonderful to be able to go home quite a bit thinner than I was when I last saw all the members of this family. I could walk up to the podium feeling confident and not self-conscious. What a gift. Once again, I found it easy to stay on plan while out of town. I had two shakes before I started driving, and I brought shakes and bars for the trip.

I stayed with another dear friend last night, sipping tea and solving the problems of the world until it got to be quite late. We got up early, I had my breakfast shakes and we took a long, brisk walk down past my old school, around and through the cemetery so I could give a hey to my grandparents, parents and brother who are all buried there. Then we looped back home. The exercise was great prep for what I knew was going to be a difficult day.

A luncheon followed the service. I did not want to call attention to my diet program so I passed most of the bowls and plates and just took some green beans, cucumbers and one small piece of white chicken. That way I got to participate in all the conversations and appreciate the celebration with no guilt. I suspect my eyes enlarged a tad as I got close-up whiffs of mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, macaroni salad and the gorgeous dinner rolls, but it is getting easier to make the choice to not want to indulge in those things.

And then the desserts. Yikes! There were two beautiful options (am I making you hungry?!) that I passed up. One of them I really wanted to try since I never heard of it–it’s called a kneecap, and it’s a donut-like thing, covered in powdered sugar, with a whipped cream tuft in the center. I just kept mentally trying to translate it into calories, which was a great deterrent. Plus, I knew if I skipped it, I wouldn’t have to wonder if I was wearing the telltale powdered-sugar lips I saw on everyone else at the table.

From there, the rest of my day was driving back to Madison (bars work great when you’re on the road) and having a shake for my evening meal. Again, I’m amazed at my strength and how well the program is working. In the past, a day like today would have been a disastrous calorie binge.

If you’re keeping track of where I am weight-wise, I’m happy to say I have now reached…

(You didn’t really think I would tell you the ACTUAL weight, did you? Silly!)

OK, instead of my actual weight, I’m happy to report pounds lost. A this point, I am minus 36 pounds – and hoping to drop another 20. I know I can do it with this program, no matter what life throws at me. When I take a few minutes to think back on this whole thing, I can honestly say I’ve done really well.

I have a weight class tomorrow night. I wonder if it’s time to move on to the next phase.

To see all of Tricia’s posts and her journey through the Very Low Calorie Diet program, use the word “Tricia” in the search box above.

Tricia’s blog, part 9: Dressing room battles, annoying clerks and a phone call.

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name, but she’s absolutely a real person, we swear. And at this point, you know that some of the things she writes about we couldn’t possibly make up.

When we last left Tricia, she gleefully reported that she has lost nearly 30 pounds on the VLCD program. Now she’s down almost 36 pounds! There have been struggles and temptations, but the program is absolutely working. So where does she go from here?

Shopping. Duh.

April 18. Time to go shopping! I usually only shop when the spirit moves me or when an event requires something specific – or at least more wonderful than what’s in my closet.

I’ve become a much crankier shopper as I have gotten older. Having gotten larger just made it worse. The twenty somethings who ask me “Are you finding everything?” drive me nuts. As a younger woman I would keep my response to myself. More recently, depending on how frustrating it’s been finding anything that fits, I find myself blurting out my response: “I wasn’t looking for everything.” (Note to self: Do not become a shopzilla. It is not the salespeople’s fault that you grew into larger sizes.) And could you turn the music down, just a little? Am I wrong to think the music should enhance the experience rather than dominate it?

So it’s Sunday afternoon after a pay-day Friday. Let’s review: No stress. Check. Open mind. Check. Let’s do this!

I am in desperate need of pants that fit. Everything I own is now too big. Wonderful, right? Well, yes and no. I am far too picky about how pants fit. They can’t be too long or too short or too baggy in the leg. A little Spandex is always a good element. (Not the Olivia Newton-John-as-Sandy-in-Grease kind, but the subtle added-in kind.) Great invention. Even jeans now have Spandex.

I went to a large anchoring department store at West Towne (I won’t name names, but I’d reeeeallly like to) and walked around several departments grabbing things that might make the cut. I finally got to the fitting room and encountered a Brunhilda clerk who saw my arms laden with options. She scoffed and gnarled in her deep, mean Brunhilda voice, “Just six items are allowed at a time.”

Younger Me would have said nothing and complied. Older Me found myself looking her square in the eyes and saying — in a stretched-out drawl, mismatched with my slight, forced smile — “You’re kidding, right?” She replied, “No, ma’am, I am not kidding. That’s the policy.”

I muttered to myself that it was a dumb policy, then responded as clarification, in my s-l-o-w voice, “So, you want me to hang all but six of these items way over there and keep getting redressed to come out of the changing room to get the next group?” “Yes, ma’am,” she replied, then added with a sparkle, “some women don’t even get redressed. They just walk out in their underwear.”

As if! Is that what I’m supposed to do? Really? Maybe it’s just a dumb policy.

As soon as she turned her back I ducked into a changing room with everything and spent a good long time trying on my bounty. Overall, I spent over two hours trying on clothes at various stores. I was happy to be in smaller sizes, but even then, shopping is still shopping.

I have a friend who can just walk into a store, grab a suit in her size, buy it and take it home. She doesn’t even try it on! If I shopped for two hours using her guerrilla tactics, I’d have closets full of stuff that doesn’t fit. Meanwhile, she’s in and out in five minutes.

I left with just a weekend skirt and one pair of work pants. Pretty lame, considering the time I spent. Guess I’ll never make the Shopping Olympics team. But at least I can go to work one more day next week wearing something that fits.

While I was finishing up my exhausting dressing and redressing marathon, my cell phone rang. It was one of those calls that launched me into a different dimension. It was my very good friend. Her mom had died. Instantly my shopping challenges got slammed into proper perspective.

To see all of Tricia’s blog posts, just use the keyword “Tricia” in the search box above.

Tricia’s blog, part 8: Life is good, especially when Teddy the Love Sponge takes one for the team.

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) program at Dean Clinic, part of the Comprehensive Weight Management program. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name. But she’s absolutely a real person.

Tricia started her journal in late December of last year, having no idea we’d ask her to share her experiences with the world. Since we didn’t launch Refresh You until March 1, we’ve got some catching up to do. Pretty soon, though, we’ll be posting Tricia’s entries in real time.

When we last left Tricia, she managed to fight her way through a nearly month-long plateau. She didn’t cheat or give up, despite the scale not budging for weeks on end. Then, finally, a breakthrough. So with new progress and a renewed spirit, all’s right with Tricia and her VLCD world. Sure, some temptations lurk ahead, but that’s nothing new. Is Tricia back in cruise control, loving life and seeing nothing but success?

March 26. Can it be? Another food day at work? We are celebrating another March birthday at the office today. For a twist, the group is doing a breakfast theme. I love to bake, so last night I dug out a wonderful recipe I got at a bed and breakfast a few years ago: Door County Cherries and Cream Muffins. I knew this would be a test of will, since baking always involves, for me anyway, taste testing at every stage.

Tricia’s blog, part 7: Pleading with the universe.

By tricia   Category: Refreshing Stories , Weight

Our guest blogger, Tricia, provides a word-for-word account of the Weight Management Program at Dean Clinic. If you’ve been reading along, you know that’s a fake name. But she’s absolutely a real person.

Tricia started her journal in late December of last year, having no idea we’d ask her to share her experiences with the world. Since we didn’t launch Refresh You until March 1, we’ve got some catching up to do. Pretty soon, though, we’ll be caught up and posting Tricia’s entries in real time.

When we last left Tricia, she was in the midst of a weightloss plateau. And by plateau, we mean 24 days without weight loss. She’s not cheating, either. How long can this possibly go on?